A season in the snake

Chronicling a summer of "micro adventures in Missoula's Rattlesnake wilderness," Aaron Teasdale's inspiring article "A Season in the Snake" appeared in the December/January 2010 issue of Adventure Cyclistmagazine.

It was the end of May, Rattlesnake Creek was swollen and charging, the forest brilliant green and radiating life. After an hour of pedaling on an old Jeep road, I met three teenage boys with fishing poles preparing to ride out. They saw my extra gear and asked what I was doing. “Heading back as far I can get before dark,” I said, “then camping for the night.”

“Wow,” they said, glimmers of possibility sparking in their eyes as they looked again at my lightly-loaded mountain bike, “that’s cool.”

3 responses so far ↓

It is so nice to have an area like the "Rattlesnake" so close to town.

Ron - Jan 18, 2012 at 11:40 AM

Ah, memories! I lived in Missoula in the late 70's and loved the Rattlesnake for hiking, biking or xc skiing. I remember loading my bike to go hunting from the end of the road one fall day with everything in a backpack as I intended to strap the deer I hoped to get to the racks. There was a short downhill section just above the bridge midway where I discovered the disadvantages of doing things that way. A small bump that would normally not be a problem resulted in a somersault over the handlebars.

I landed on my backpack and seemed to have no damages upon first inspection. Upon waking from camp the next morning. I spotted two deer within easy shooting range right there. I then discovered that my rifle sight must have been bumped in the fall as my shot went several feet below where I intended. The deer quickly disappeared into the woods and I had to settle for a nice hike with no prospects for filling the freezer.

Michael McCoy - Jan 20, 2012 at 12:13 PM

Great story, Ron!

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You'll find stories, tips, and how-tos about embarking on short overnight cycling adventures, whether you're traveling to a beautiful state park solo, lounging at a B&B with friends and family, or anything in between!